7260. rabrab
Lexical Summary
rabrab: Great, mighty, numerous

Original Word: רַבְרַב
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: rabrab
Pronunciation: rahv-RAHV
Phonetic Spelling: (rab-rab')
KJV: (very) great (things)
Word Origin: [(Aramaic) from H722 (אֲרוֹדִי - Arodi)9]

1. huge (in size)
2. domineering (in character)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
very great things

(Aramaic) from rab; huge (in size); domineering (in character) -- (very) great (things).

see HEBREW rab

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
(Aramaic) the same as rab, q.v.

Topical Lexicon
Occurrences within Daniel’s Aramaic Text

The adjective appears eight times, exclusively in the Aramaic chapters of Daniel. Its range moves from courtly titles (Daniel 2:48) through doxology (Daniel 4:3) to eschatological visions (Daniel 7:3-20). This concentration shows how the Spirit used one word to bind together narrative, praise, and prophecy, linking the historical experience of exile with the promise of God’s ultimate dominion.

Royal Authority and Administrative Elevation

After interpreting Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, “the king placed Daniel in a high position … and made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and chief of all the wise men” (Daniel 2:48). Here the term underscores Daniel’s unexpected elevation from captive to cabinet-level authority. Theologically, it demonstrates that genuine greatness is conferred by God, not seized by human ambition (see Proverbs 21:1). Pastoral application: God’s people can serve faithfully in secular structures without compromising devotion; heavenly wisdom often gains earthly hearing.

Divine Supremacy over Human Greatness

Nebuchadnezzar’s hymn exclaims, “How great are His signs, how mighty His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom” (Daniel 4:3). The same adjective that described Daniel’s status now magnifies the works of the Most High, placing human promotion and divine sovereignty on the same verbal scale—and tipping it decisively toward the Lord. Daniel 4 testifies that the true measure of greatness is God’s power to humble rulers (cf. James 4:6).

Eschatological Weight in the Four-Beast Vision

Daniel 7 uses the word five times—first for the “four great beasts” (Daniel 7:3), then for the “four great kingdoms” they represent (Daniel 7:17). The adjective again characterizes worldly might, but each instance anticipates displacement by the everlasting reign of “One like a Son of Man” (Daniel 7:13-14). Even the terrifying fourth beast is called “exceedingly dreadful, with terrible teeth of iron” (Daniel 7:7), yet its greatness is temporary, destined to be judged (Daniel 7:11). The repetition highlights a biblical pattern: earthly empires rise, display apparent greatness, and fall before the unshakable kingdom of God (Hebrews 12:28).

Historical Insights

1. Linguistic Context: The Aramaic sections of Daniel (2:4b-7:28) spoke directly to an international audience in exile. The shared imperial language underscored that every court, culture, and kingdom must answer to the Lord of Heaven.
2. Prophetic Layers: The “great beasts” trace a sweep from Babylon to the final antichristic empire. The use of a single adjective for each kingdom compresses centuries of human achievement into one repeated descriptor, subtly diminishing them before the Ancient of Days.
3. Exilic Encouragement: Jewish exiles, surrounded by foreign claims to greatness, heard Daniel proclaim that true majesty belongs to God alone and that their future was secure in His plan.

Ministry and Discipleship Applications

• Christian leaders can echo Daniel’s humility: accept positions of influence as stewardship, not entitlement (Daniel 2:30).
• Worship should magnify God’s “mighty wonders,” reinforcing that no human authority rivals His (Daniel 4:3).
• Preaching on Daniel 7 should highlight that geopolitical upheavals, however “great,” unfold under divine supervision, cultivating steadfast hope rather than fear (Matthew 24:6).
• Discipleship curricula may trace the term’s progression—from Daniel’s promotion, through Nebuchadnezzar’s praise, to the beasts’ demise—to show that every believer’s account likewise moves from earthly pressures to eschatological victory (2 Timothy 4:18).

Christological Reflections

Within Daniel 7, the phrase stands in contrast to the everlasting dominion granted to the Son of Man. Earthly “great” powers pass away; the greatness of Jesus Christ endures. The Gospel writers intentionally draw from this backdrop (Matthew 24:30), inviting believers to anchor their confidence not in transient political greatness but in the King whose kingdom shall never be destroyed (Daniel 7:14; Revelation 11:15).

Summary

Across narrative, praise, and prophecy, the word consistently sets a stage on which God’s surpassing greatness is displayed. Whether elevating His servant, humbling a monarch, or forecasting the rise and fall of empires, Scripture uses the vocabulary of human grandeur only to direct attention to the matchless majesty of the Lord—and to assure His people that they share in a greatness that cannot fade.

Forms and Transliterations
רַבְרְבִ֔ין רַבְרְבָ֔ן רַבְרְבָ֤ן רַבְרְבָֽן׃ רַבְרְבָתָ֔א רברבין רברבן רברבן׃ רברבתא raḇ·rə·ḇā·ṯā raḇ·rə·ḇān raḇ·rə·ḇîn raḇrəḇān raḇrəḇāṯā raḇrəḇîn ravreVan ravrevaTa ravreVin
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Englishman's Concordance
Daniel 2:48
HEB: רַבִּ֗י וּמַתְּנָ֨ן רַבְרְבָ֤ן שַׂגִּיאָן֙ יְהַב־
KJV: him many great gifts,
INT: promoted gifts great many and gave

Daniel 4:3
HEB: אָת֙וֹהִי֙ כְּמָ֣ה רַבְרְבִ֔ין וְתִמְה֖וֹהִי כְּמָ֣ה
KJV: me.How great [are] his signs! and how
INT: are his signs How great are his wonders and how

Daniel 7:3
HEB: וְאַרְבַּ֤ע חֵיוָן֙ רַבְרְבָ֔ן סָלְקָ֖ן מִן־
KJV: And four great beasts came up
INT: and four beasts great were coming from

Daniel 7:7
HEB: פַרְזֶ֥ל לַהּ֙ רַבְרְבָ֔ן אָֽכְלָ֣ה וּמַדֱּקָ֔ה
KJV: exceedingly; and it had great iron
INT: forasmuch iron had great devoured and crushed

Daniel 7:8
HEB: וּפֻ֖ם מְמַלִּ֥ל רַבְרְבָֽן׃
KJV: and a mouth speaking great things.
INT: mouth uttering things

Daniel 7:11
HEB: קָל֙ מִלַּיָּ֣א רַבְרְבָתָ֔א דִּ֥י קַרְנָ֖א
KJV: of the voice of the great words
INT: of the sound words of the great which the horn

Daniel 7:17
HEB: אִלֵּין֙ חֵיוָתָ֣א רַבְרְבָתָ֔א דִּ֥י אִנִּ֖ין
KJV: These great beasts, which
INT: These beasts great which which

Daniel 7:20
HEB: וְפֻם֙ מְמַלִּ֣ל רַבְרְבָ֔ן וְחֶזְוַ֖הּ רַ֥ב
KJV: that spake very great things, whose look
INT: mouth uttering things appearance great

8 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 7260
8 Occurrences


raḇ·rə·ḇān — 5 Occ.
raḇ·rə·ḇā·ṯā — 2 Occ.
raḇ·rə·ḇîn — 1 Occ.

7259
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